Wanderlust
by Azarelinor
Summary: Jaune wasn't really sure what he'd been thinking when he decided to go adventuring at the young age of eleven. He was even less sure why his father had agreed, and he had absolutely no clue why there was a loud, annoying crow that seemed intent on keeping an eye on him. Looking back on it, though, he was certain that it had been the best decision he'd ever made.


*Coughs into a fist awkwardly*

Well, it's been a while since I've posted anything, hasn't it? I know I said I'd try and keep you updated, but we all know how that worked out, haha... ha.

So, new story because for the life of me I can't remember how I wanted most of my other stories to go. I _might_ continue Infusion, but it's more likely that I would just rewrite it from the very beginning. Or I might end up dropping it completely. My other stories are pretty much dead though.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new story.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY

* * *

"Dad, I want to go out adventuring," Jaune said seriously, his face scrunched up in what he assumed was a stern and imposing frown. Instead, his attempt to look serious failed miserably due to his childish face.

His father set down his scroll, looking away from the newspaper he had been reading in order to stare at his son. "And why," he wondered, slightly bemused, "would you want to do that?"

"Because all the heroes go adventuring, duh," Jaune rolled his eyes. "How am I supposed to be a hero without going on an adventure?"

"Jaune, you just turned ten a week ago. You do realize that most heroes don't go on adventures until they're a little older, right?" His father asked, watching Jaune with an amused smile on his face.

"Mom says that I shouldn't pro-crast-in-ate," Jaune replied, carefully enunciating the word. "She says that means that I shouldn't wait to do important things. And being a hero is an important thing!"

"Well, I suppose that I could let you go adventuring for a little bit," his father said, turning back to his scroll. "Just stay close to home, and take one of your big sisters with you, okay?"

Jaune stomped his foot angrily. "Dad, if I'm close to home it's not an adventure. You have to actually go places for it to be an adventure. Plus, big sisters don't ever go with the hero. Haven't you read any stories?"

His father sighed and put down the newspaper again, kneading his forehead with a hand. "Wow, now I know how my father felt," the older man muttered, shaking his head. "Alright Jaune, let me discuss this with your mother."

Jaune stared at his father suspiciously. "Promise?"

The man sighed and rolled his eyes. "Alright Jaune, but I want you to promise me something in return. If you want me to convince your mother about this, you have to promise that you will try your hardest while I train you for the next year. No more complaining about how difficult it is, no more refusing to train. You'll also need to make sure that you don't fall behind in your schooling, otherwise I refuse to let you go adventuring."

"I promise!" Jaune exclaimed, looking at his father expectantly.

"Alright, I promise that if you put in your best effort into training and utter no complaints, I will discuss this with your mother," his father said, smirking internally. There was no way that his wife would ever agree, and technically he would discuss it with her.

Jaune looked at his father suspiciously. "Promise that you'll try your best to convince Mom," he said, frowning.

His father clicked his tongue, but nodded grudgingly, trusting that his wife wouldn't go along with it no matter what he said to her. "Fine. I promise I'll do my best to convince her. But if she says no even after I try my best, that's it."

Jaune nodded, his face lighting up as he grinned. "Remember, you promised!"

"Yes, yes," his father sighed, a small smile on his face. "Now, why don't you go play with your sisters."

* * *

The next year passed with agonizing slowness – at least, that was what it felt like to Jaune. He was growing tired of the constant sword drills, laps around the village, and incessant sparring. His father seemed determined to force a complaint out of him, but Jaune held fast, and even when he felt as though he was about to collapse from exhaustion, he refused to let a single sound of protest slip from his lips. He had promised that he wouldn't complain, and an Arc never, ever went back on his word.

His rate of improvement surprised even his father, who, with a mixture of pride and reluctance - pride at his son's progress and reluctance at the fact that the stronger Jaune was, the more likely his mother would agree to his foolishness – admitted that even with his aura locked Jaune might be able to handle a beowolf or two.

On Jaune's eleventh birthday, his father pulled him aside after the party, a serious look on his face. "Jaune, are you still set on leaving? You've improved greatly over this past year, from a novice more likely to trip over his own feet than dodge a blow to a warrior capable of holding off a few beowolves. However, the outside world is a vast and terrifying place filled with danger. Death can, and does, come at any moment. It would be much safer for you to wait several years before venturing out into the wider world."

Jaune shivered slightly under his father's gaze, but steadied himself and nodded firmly. "I'll be careful, dad. I mean, we've gone camping out in the wilds a few times before right? It can't be too different."

His father sighed and shook his head. "Alright Jaune. I can see that I won't be able to convince you to wait. I've already discussed this with your mother, and while she's not willing to let you go off into the wild on your own, she will let you spend the summer in another village. You'll be living with Li Ren, a friend of mine from Kuroyuri. He's a hunter there and has a son your age. I'm sure you'll be good friends."

"But dad, I wanted to go on an adventure," Jaune whined, "not stay in some village."

"That was the best I could get from your mother," his father shrugged. "We're willing to let you make the journey there and back alone since it's less than a week away, but that's the only concession you'll get. If you don't like it then you can always stay here."

Jaune pouted in annoyance. "Fine. But next summer I want to go on a real adventure!"

His father chuckled and ruffled his hair, grinning as Jaune tried to swat away his hand. "Let's just wait and see how this summer turns out. But first, let me unlock your aura. Close your eyes."

He placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder, a brilliant glow illuminating the room as his voice split into two, overlapping on itself in a sonorous incantation.

 _"For it is through resolute courage and boundless compassion that we shall finally obtain peace. Through the flames and darkness we rise, sheltering the remnants of mankind from all that would do them harm. With your purity and heroism as the materials and my aura as the crucible, I release your soul, empowering you to shoulder the hopes of this dying world."_

A flash of pure white lit the room before dying down to a faint, steady glow that enveloped Jaune's body. "It's warm…" he murmured unconsciously as he stared at his glowing hands.

His father pat him on the shoulder, appearing slightly drained. "That, son, is your aura. Your soul made manifest in this world. It will shield you from harm, heal that which ails you, and provide you with the strength to stand against the darkness. Once you return I'll help you learn how to use it, but for now it will stave off injury and provide you with another safeguard while you're gone."

"Cool! I have my own force field now!" Jaune said happily, poking at a particularly dense patch of light before frowning. "Uh, how do I turn it off? I mean, glowing is pretty cool, so I guess I won't need a night light anymore, but…"

His father chuckled and shook his head. "Only you would think of using aura as a night light," he grinned. "Just give it a few moments and it will die down. When it's first unlocked, aura tends to be extremely active. After that it will actually take some effort to bring forth enough aura to create light." Sure enough, Jaune's aura began to recede into his body not more than a few seconds later.

"Thanks Dad!" Jaune exclaimed. "This is an awesome birthday present!"

"You're welcome," his father nodded. "I also have another gift for you. Wait here while I get it." He walked into the back of the house as Jaune stood there eagerly, wondering what the present might be. A minute later his father returned, a silvery sheathed sword in his hands.

"This sword and shield are slightly heavier and larger than the training swords and shields we use," his father said, handing them to Jaune. "Before you leave next week, take some time to grow accustomed to their weight. The sheath, similiar to Crocea Mors, can also expand into a shield."

"Whoa, awesome!" Jaune cheered, unsheathing the sword and lightly swinging it.

His father winced as the sword scraped against the wall, leaving a thin but noticeable cut in the wood. "And this is why you need to practice," he sighed. "With the added length and weight to the sword, it will be more difficult to control your blows initially, and you'll often misjudge the distance until you grow familiar with your new weapons."

Jaune nodded as he sheathed the blade, a slightly sheepish expression on his face. "Sorry," he mumbled, looking down at the floor.

His father merely shook his head and smiled softly. "Why don't you go out and familiarize yourself with your new weapons while I figure out how to explain this to your mother." Jaune nodded and sheathed his sword before running out the door towards the practice grounds. His father waited until he was out of earshot before pulling out his scroll and dialing a number. After several moments, a muffled greeting came from the scroll.

"It's been a while, Qrow," Jaune's father said calmly. "I'm calling in a favor."

* * *

"Mom, stop hugging me," Jaune whined, struggling in his mother's grip as she held him firmly.

"Jaune, I'm not going to see you for another two months," the older woman replied, hugging him tighter. "You're not going to begrudge your poor mother one little hug, are you?"

"A little hug doesn't last two minutes," Jaune protested sullenly, but he stopped moving all the same.

After a moment she let him go and sighed. "I don't know how I managed to let your father talk me into this," she muttered, glaring at her husband. "Going adventuring in the wilds at your age. Even with a professional hunts-"

His father chuckled nervously and grabbed his wife's hand. "Give me a moment with your mother and go say goodbye to your sisters," he said as he pulled his wife off to the side and began talking to her in hushed whispers.

Jaune cocked his head curiously, but shrugged and went to say goodbye to all his sisters all the same. Halfway through his goodbyes, he heard a muffled shriek of "WHAT?! YOU ASKED THAT DRUNK?!" from his mother. When he returned downstairs, his mother was glowering at her husband, who seemed very intent on examining the ceiling.

His father seemed to sigh in relief when Jaune walked into the room, pulling out a small scroll and handing it to him. "Since you're going out for some time, we decided to get you a scroll," he explained when Jaune stared at the device. "We expect you to call us at the end of every week. Of course, you can always call us earlier if you would like to."

"Okay!" Jaune said happily, taking the scroll and examining it curiously. He'd played several video games on the scrolls installed in their home, but he hadn't ever had a personal one.

As if sensing his thoughts, his mother told him sternly, "Remember, you're not allowed to play games for more than an hour each day. If your father or I catch you misusing the scroll, we'll take it back and give you a model that can only function as a phone."

"Yes mom," Jaune replied, his enthusiasm dampened by the quick reminder.

His mother nodded in satisfaction, taking a large backpack filled with supplies and handing it to him. "There's enough preserved food in here to last you for three weeks," she said, "one portion for the journey there, one portion for the journey back, and the final portion in case something unexpected occurs. There's also a few flashlights, a solar powered battery embedded in the backpack with a complementary charging cable, and the backpack itself can expand into a small tent if you channel some aura into it. If you get attacked by grimm while it's dark, pull this wire here, then the backpack will light up your surroundings. That way you don't have to hold a flashlight while fighting." She turned to his father. "Was there anything that I missed?"

"I think you got most of it," his father replied, scratching his head. "I'm sure there are a few other functions in there somewhere, but those are the important ones. I'd need the manual for the stupid thing to remember the rest of them though."

He turned to Jaune and knelt down so he was eye level. "Jaune, listen to me very carefully. While this may be an adventure for you, danger lurks in even the most of innocuous of places. Promise me that your first reaction to anything you can't handle will be to flee."

"Alright Dad," Jaune grumbled. "I promise."

His father nodded and rose. "When I was younger, though not as young as you, I had a similar case of wanderlust and traveled around quite a bit. One tip my own father told me was to sleep for four hours at dawn and just before dusk, travel through the day, and keep watch at night. Grimm tend to be more active while it's dark, so it's dangerous to sleep during the night if you aren't accustomed to keeping an ear open."

"Okay Dad," Jaune said dutifully.

"Be safe out there," his father said, enveloping him in a tight embrace before letting go and patting him on the shoulder.

"Tell An hello from me when you see her," his mother said, pulling him into yet another hug. "I love you, son."

"Love you too mom," Jaune said, growing slightly exasperated at the lengthy farewells. As soon as she let go, he quickly put on the backpack – which was lighter than he'd expected given all the features – and ran out the door. "I'll call you later tonight," he called over his shoulder as his figure slowly faded into the distance.

His mother stared after him for a few moments before turning to her husband. "If anything happens, you're sleeping on the couch for the rest of your life," she told him angrily.

"Relax," his father said placatingly. "Qrow will look after him on his journey there and back, and Kuroyuri has survived the wilds for over fifty years. It's one of the safest places I know of outside of the cities. Jaune's come a long way this past year, and between one of the strongest Huntsmen of our generation and the safety of Kuroyuri's walls, he'll be fine."

"I don't know," his wife murmured. "I just… I just have this odd feeling."

"You're overthinking it," Jaune's father replied, slipping his arms around her. "Any mother would be worried about their child going off on his own for the first time."

"I hope you're right," she whispered as she stared out of the house, looking for any sign of the distant form of her only son. "I hope you're right."

* * *

I really wanted to write a fic where Jaune meets the rest of RWBY and JNPR before Beacon, just because Jaune's past is almost completely unknown. Really the only things we know are that he has seven sisters, an ancestor of his was a hero, and he's gone on a few camping trips in Anima. The rest is all blank, which makes him the easiest to move around.

Next chapter will be the journey to Kuroyuri, life at the village, meeting Ren and Nora, and maybe the journey back, but I haven't decided on whether that last one should be in the next chapter or the one after that. The next chapter probably won't come out for a few weeks since it's going to be longer than this one and college is starting soon. Until next time!


End file.
